The Riders
by Purple-Rosie
Summary: Humans aren't meant to live forever. Our shells whither, our spirits depart. Run as you like, no mortal can escape the Riders. No, human bodies aren't meant to last forever, but human souls can be reborn...ZeexRo ish. Kinda dark. Couple of OCs.


Hello Everybody! X3 Yes, my first Zeta Project fic, feel free to send me your thoughts. For starters, I want to give a shout out to **Iglika**. She's the one who got me motivated enough to actually start work on it. ((huggles Iglika)) Thank you!

I've read a few (dozen) fics giving 'what-if-Zeta-had-his-mind-wiped' or 'what-if-Ro-got-killed' situations, and it got me thinking. How about something a little different? I believe whole-heartedly in past lives and reincarnation; I also have a bit of a dark thought process and an awesome poster of a grim reaper hanging on my wall. All of these things rolled into one give me a pretty good reason for this little fic right here. It was actually supposed to be a one-shot, but it turned into a full-blown mini-fic! Note: Ro and Zee might be a little OOC, but I'm working basically from memory here, so bear with me. That said, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Zeta Project or any of the characters/locations therein. I do, however, own Roz, her past, Dilexa, the orphanage thingy, the Riders (and their names), the bookstore, the children's poem (book), and the story.

For my Sister, my best friend in the world.

* * *

The Riders

Chapter 1: A Conversation, A Premonition

Two people sat together, hunched over a computer monitor. One, a man in his early twenties, was looking quizzically at his flaxen-haired companion. She in turn was scrolling down to read the rest of an article. "Huh, orange hair. I wonder what I'd look like with that…" Lifting her soft blue eyes from the screen in front of her, she caught his gaze. "What?"

The man had apparently been zoning out, for he answered her query with a startled blink. "Huh? Oh sorry, Ro."

Rosalie Rowen arched an eyebrow at her friend's response. "Something wrong, Zee?" she asked. Then, smiling sarcastically, she added, "Or were you just pondering the meaning of the universe again?" She giggled lightly as a thoughtful expression plastered itself across the man's face. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"Actually, I was wondering," he said after a moment. "What is reincarnation?"

The blond nearly choked on her soda at the out-of-the-blue question. "Where in the heck did that come from?" She knew that Zeta was still learning the ways of the world, but sometimes, he could ask the most random things.

Zee seemed a bit disappointed. He had been hoping that Ro would tell him what this bizarre concept was all about. He liked her explanations; more so that a normal text book answer. "Did I say something wrong? I'm sorry."

Upon seeing her comrade's reaction, Ro quickly swiveled her seat around to face him. She gave a soft smile and gently patted his shoulder. "Don't be," she told him, relieved to see the apologetic look leave his eyes. "You just kind of took me by surprise with that one." She shifted her gaze to the ceiling, chewing absently on her fingernail while she thought of the simplest way to describe the term. Zee waited patiently for her to speak. "Reincarnation…is like being reborn, I guess."

"Reborn?" the obsidian-haired man echoed, cocking his head to one side. The gesture resembled a child's.

Ro nodded. "Yeah. When we die, our souls leave our bodies. If someone is reincarnated, his or her soul is returning to earth in a different form." She paused to look over at her friend. "This making any sense at all?" A shake of his head gave her the answer, and she tried again. "Maybe if I used an example. Let's say that I died. My spirit wouldn't be able to come back in my old body, so I'd have to get a new one. I'd be reborn as someone else; same soul, different person."

Zeta understood a little better now, but one thing continued to elude him. "You keep saying 'different', what do you mean by that? If it was your spirit, wouldn't you still be you?"

"It doesn't really work like that, Zee," the blue-eyed woman sighed. "When we come back, we don't remember who we were before. Depending on our experiences, we could end up with completely obscured personality or a totally new out-look on life."

The synthoid frowned, a protective expression entering his eyes. "You wouldn't... be Rosalie Rowen anymore?" he asked quietly. _You wouldn't be my Ro?_

-"Afraid not."

His frown deepened. "But, Ro, I don't want you to die."

The girl chuckled and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Good, 'cuz I don't plan on doing it any time soon." She playfully socked her companion in the arm. "You're stuck with me, Tin Man."

Zee's frown lifted into a tiny smile as he got to his feet.

* * *

-"Oh wow, Zee! Look at this!"

Addressed synthoid spun around, eager to see what it was that had brought a delighted squeal to his partner's voice. After all, anything that made her happy was bound to be interesting. He walked up behind her and looked over her shoulder at the small display window; a dusty shelf lined with books being what he saw. Up near the top of the glass, in peeling, painted gold letters, were the words 'Winter Antiques – Books, Posters, and More'. He turned his blue-gray eyes towards his friend. "A book store? You never struck me as a reader."

Ro shot Zeta a mock-glare, rolling her eyes as she did so. "No, not the store." She stabbed at the window with her index finger. "That! Right there." The object she was pointing at was a thin, dark green book with fraying edges. The faded outline of a dead tree was stamped into the cover, just below the title.

Zee squinted slightly, a force of habit, and read the name out loud. "Death Riders. Poems of Ink and Blood" Cocking a brow, he said, "I take it, you are familiar with this particular…" He never got to finish, however, because Ro suddenly grabbed him by the arm and started tugging him into the shop.

The interior of the store was just as drab as the as the window display had made it out to be, and poorly lighted to boot. However, it was surprisingly free of dust. The walls were lined with shelf after shelf of ancient, yellowing books; most of which looked about ready to crumble should they be disturbed. A long metal desk was placed near the entrance, its shiny surface very much out of place in such a gloomy environment. Behind the desk sat an elderly man with a long gray beard. Upon hearing the tinkling of the bell above the door, he gingerly closed his book and turned to face his potential customers. "Well hello there! What can I do for you today?"

Ro sauntered right up to the man. "There's this book in the window. Could we see it please?"

The shopkeeper nodded, gladdened by the girl's enthusiasm. "Yes, of course." He moved shakily out from around the piece of furniture and made his way to the front. Gingerly tapping the keypad that kept the display locked, he turned once again to the young woman standing behind him. "Which one, my dear?"

-"That green one with the tree on the cover."

He reached in his gnarled hand and retrieved the rather decrepit-looking reading material. Turning slowly on his heel, he handed the book to Zee, who was closest. "This one's been here for a long time. You're the first people to ask for it in years." With that, he walked back over to his chair and sat down.

The man in purple eyed his friend curiously. "Will you please tell me already?" he asked.

Ro sighed playfully as she took her treasure from the synthoid's hand. "How about instead, I read to you?" she teased, giggled at the tiny smile playing about his lips. She grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a far corner of the room.

Zeta watched as his companion began flipping through the musty pages. He was flattered that Ro wanted to share something; something that apparently meant a lot to her. He also was secretly thrilled that she was going to share it with _him_ of all people. Something inside of him wrenched whenever he unwittingly pictured _his_ Ro with someone else, smiling for somebody else. He twitched slightly at the thought. _He _was the one who brought that warm, adoring smile to her face, not some random wanna-be. It was a selfish though and he knew it, but it was one that just wouldn't go away. Oh, he wanted to see her happy, more than anything. He just wanted to be the one to create that happiness. This, obviously, was not a thought that he was going to let Ro in on anytime soon…

"Yes! Here it is!" the object of his affections stated enthusiastically. "Argument." She turned her shimmering blue eyes towards him and practically started hopping up and down. "This is my favorite poem, Zee. I remember it from when I was little; it's one of the only memories I have from before…"she trailed off, her smile wavering just a bit.

Zee felt something wrench again. In an effort to bring the smile back again, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Why he did this and not some other gesture, he wasn't quite sure. However, it seemed to have worked.

Smile restored and eyes glowing once more, Ro started to read aloud:

Said InkenBlade to InkenBell,  
"I steal the mortals from their shells."

Said InkenBell to InkenBlade,  
"I let them dace upon their graves."

Said InkenBlade to InkenBell,  
"I take them with me, down to Hell."

Said InkenBell to InkenBlade,  
"I bring them back to light of day."

Then InkenBlade stretched out his hand,  
And stole a mortal from the land.

And in defiance, InkenBell  
Stole her back…then all was well.

The obsidian-haired man listened to her read, feeling a wave of calm rush over his titanium body. He wasn't supposed to be able to feel emotions, he wasn't supposed to be able to feel at all. But he did. He did, and he loved it more than anything…well, almost anything. He ignored the little blips in his mind that told him when the words in the poem didn't quite rhyme or make sense. He refused to see it as anything but beautiful…like her voice. She liked the poem, and if she liked it, then it was perfect. Perfect…just like her. Just like his Ro.

Said woman closed the book carefully, making sure not to damage it. Looking back up at her synthoid companion, she grinned. "So, what'd you think, Zee?"

Zeta returned the smile. "It's nice. What's it about?"

"It's about death…and…" Ro suddenly started to laugh. Seeing Zee's confused face only caused her to laugh harder. "I'm sorry," she said in between giggles. "I remembered your question back at the Ground Wire." She calmed down a little more and started again. "I just found it funny how first you asked what reincarnation was, then we conveniently stumbled on this poem."

The gray-eyed man chuckled in agreement. _Yes,_ he thought. _It was rather funny._ The merriment ended rather abruptly, however, as Ro's heart-warming giggling turned into a rather nasty coughing fit.

She waved his concerned hand away. "I'm fine, Zee…" she managed to say through the haggard breathing, "It's just the weird smell of old paper." Wiping at her watering eyes, she gave him a 'thumbs-up'. "Made my throat tickle is all."

He didn't entirely believe it, but said nothing to challenge her. Fine or not, he knew that would be a battle not easily won. Thus he wisely surrendered. An idea sparked in his metal brain, bringing a light to his holographic lips. Gently, he took the ratty book from her hands and headed to the front desk.

-"Zee, what'cha doing?"

He turned and flashed her one of his irresistibly cute grins. "Buying it. What else?"

Ro jogged up behind him, giving a half-smile. "You don't have to do that. I only wanted to read you the poem."

"Why shouldn't I get it for you?" Zee questioned. "It's a piece of your past, isn't it?" He inwardly smirked as the blonde opened her mouth to protest, then shut it stupidly. He was winning…

It was at that precise moment that the shopkeeper decided to speak up. "You may have the book, if you wish. Consider it a thank-you for your love of old poetry."

"Well that settles it then," said a rather triumphant Zeta. For lack of a response, Ro just smiled.

* * *

The sky was dark when the pair exited the tiny store, the stars had already begun to appear. The girl held her friend's arm with both hands and snuggled slightly into the crook of his shoulder. "Thank you, you didn't need to do that."

"It may just be a simple children's poem, but it's nostalgia none-the-least." Zee looked over at the figure walking beside him. "Am I right?"

Ro nodded and tried to stifle a yawn. It did not go unnoticed, however, as her 'pillow' gave her a kind look.

"Getting tired?"

"Nuh-uh," she lied, rubbing at her eyelids. "I'm good for a few more hours." Pulling the book from her knapsack, she examined its worn and faded cover. "It really is morbid, isn't it?" She felt Zeta shrug, one of the many humanoid gestures he had picked up on. A tiny half-smile twitched at the corner of her lips as she glanced up at his face. "Just don't get in the habit of buying random things, okay?"

Zee's face contorted into an expression of innocence; a very _unconvincing_ innocence. Trying his best to look everywhere _except _at her, he asked, "Would I do something like that?"

Blue eyes narrowing in suspicion, Rosalie cocked a brow at her friend. "What've you done now, Zee?" When he didn't answer her, she abruptly stopped walking. "I know you, Tin Man. That face isn't working."

Damn, she'd won that round. Time to come clean… The man in purple faced his comrade with a sheepish grin. "Alright, you caught me." Lowering the hologram around his chest area, he reached into one of the various compartments and withdrew what appeared to be a long black chord. After restoring his left pectoral to its original form, he pulled the blond a little closer to him. "I had intended to give you this later, but I'm no good at keeping secrets from you." He gently spun the young woman around so that her back was turned to him. Then, he looped the velvet chord over her head and tied the ends together.

Ro gasped softly at the sight if the pendant now hanging from her neck. A deep, radiant blue crystal sparkled in the light from an over head street lamp. Wrapped gracefully around the sphere was a pair of tiny silver hands, their fingers interlocking, holding the jewel in place. She spun herself so quickly that she nearly fell over. "Oh, Zee! I…I don't know what to say." She smiled at him, her eyes shining just like the gemstone that now adorned her throat.

"Does that mean you like it?" Zeta got his answer in the form of an elated tackle. For a moment he stood there, Ro with her arms about his neck and her face buried in his shoulder. Once the initial shock was over, however, he eagerly wrapped his own arms around her small, delicate frame. He held her. Gently at first, then with more confidence; pulling her as close to him as he could without hurting her. He rested his chin on her shoulder as she pressed her cheek to his. _Ro_, he thought sadly. _I wish I could feel your skin…_ He squeezed the woman in his arms just a little tighter.

All to soon, the moment ended and Rosalie pulled away. The two of them gazed at each other in silence, neither wanting to break the spell. At length, Ro said, "You know what, Zee?"

"What?"

She took his arm a second time as they resumed their trek to the hotel. "I want to make you a promise." She looked back up at him, chuckling softly at his curious expression. "When I die…"

"Ro!" Zeta interrupted, his eyes filling with shock. "Don't talk like that!" He was starting to worry that something might be wrong, that Ro might be sick; his concern over the episode in the bookstore not quite dispelled. He didn't get to voice his thoughts though.

Slightly irked at being cut off, the blue-eyed girl put her fingers to her companion's lips. "You gonna let me finish?" Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "I don't want you to be alone ever again, Zee." she said quietly, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand. "So when I die, I'm going to find some way of coming back."

"You mean, be reborn?" Ah, now he understood. However, he couldn't help but inwardly cringe. _I don't want to think about you dying, Ro. I don't even want to imagine what it would be like without you…_

The blond nodded sleepily. "Mmhm. I'll reincarnate, just for you, Zee."

A smile inched its way across the synthoid's face and he leaned down to take her face in his hands. "You would…really do that for me?"

"Of course I would…I love you." Whatever else she was about to say died in her throat as her soul mate tenderly pressed his lips to hers.

"I love you too, Ro."


End file.
